Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum is calling for submissions of personal communication in the form of letters, emails or messages which express feelings about love, loss and longing. Selected submissions will be included in some way in an upcoming exhibition, centred on love and loss in the written word, at Auckland Museum in mid-2021.
Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum is calling for submissions of personal communication in the form of letters, emails or messages which express feelings about love, loss and longing. Selected submissions will be included in some way in an upcoming exhibition, centred on love and loss in the written word, at Auckland Museum in mid-2021.
From letters, post cards and diaries to emails, texts, direct messages and even Tinder messages, this exhibition will explore the ways Aucklanders communicate feelings of love, loss, and longing, and how that has changed (and stayed the same) over time.
Nina Finigan, Curator of Manuscripts at Auckland Museum says, “Love, loss and longing – these feelings are universal and reveal something profound about what it means to be human. How we communicate these emotions continues to evolve but our need to tell people we love and miss them is timeless.”
Submissions can be anything from a love letter physically received in the mail, an email from a friend overseas, an affectionate card from a family member or messages from a Tinder profile. They can focus on love lost in the form of a breakup message, a letter from someone disclosing profound grief, or a letter that takes on new meaning after the sender has passed away. Family stories where letters or messages played a key part, or letters that have been passed down in your family, are also welcomed for submission.
"We acknowledge that such messages are highly personal. We are committed to ethical use and display of personal stories and will work alongside submitters to ensure their stories are treated with care, sensitivity and respect,” says Nina.
Some submitters may be requested to participate in a film to be produced for the exhibition, which will showcase the letters or messages being read aloud, by the sender, the recipient, or between both.
Auckland Museum is particularly interested in hearing from people from Māori, Pasifika and migrant communities, as well as those from Rainbow communities.
To submit items for consideration* please send a photo, scan or screen grab of the letter, email or message history to submissions@aucklandmuseum.com
Submissions close Sunday 13 September.
* Please note that, for a variety of reasons Auckland Museum cannot accept all submissions.
Media Contact:
Bex Martelletti – Publicist
Auckland War Memorial Museum
Email: bmartelletti@aucklandmuseum.com
Phone: 021 955 362